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May 1, 2008What Could Have Been…
May 2, 2008
While John Cooper will always have the stigma for his record against the University of Michigan Wolverines (2-10-1), his record against other teams made him the second-winningest coach in Ohio State football history. Coupling his successes in Columbus with those accomplished elsewhere, the Columbus Dispatch reports that Cooper will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year.
Obviously, Cooper was very appreciative of the induction.
“I mean, holy cow, to join such a select group of college coaches such as Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Bud Wilkinson, General (Bob) Neyland, Bear Bryant, the list goes on – obviously you are very flattered and very humbled.”
The 70-year old coach joins a pretty elite group. It’s a shame that many fans of the Buckeyes will remember him more for what he didn’t do, but that’s the tough part about the exposure of a big program. We see coaches get the pink slip every year if they fail to live up to expectations. It just so happened that the expectations of the Ohio State program is to beat the University of Michigan.
Good news is, Cooper hasn’t let the rivalry-turned-release get to him. He still resides in Columbus, and is enjoying his health with his family. Congrats, Coop.
Cooper Named to College Football Hall of Fame [Columbus Dispatch]
7 Comments
I…I…I don’t know what to say about this. Hmm, how about fantastic recruits coach!
Congrats on the election, Coach Cooper.
/ Ryan Brewer
While Coach Cooper was a great recruiter and seemed like a good guy, what exactly did he do to warrant a HOF induction? He was 2-10-1 against his biggest rival, 3-7 in bowl games, and never won an outright Big 10 championship. He averaged 8.5 wins and 3.3 losses over 13 seasons, which are not very successful seasons. Sure, he put up a good number of wins overall, but that’s what you’re supposed to do when you have the advantages of an Ohio State and stick around for 13 years.
Yea, it’s a tough one to judge. His numbers on paper are a LOT better than the actual perception of them. I’m sure that the criteria (unfortunately) didn’t involve a gauge on which games were big, and which weren’t. I also think the fact that he won in more places than just OSU helped him out. As did Eddie George.
His decision to tie Michigan still makes me puke.
I have to say after trying to digest this for a little bit, that my opinion of the College Football Hall of Fame has dropped. Shouldn’t they be letting in only the best of the best? Isn’t that what a hall of fame is? Cooper blew 2 undefeated seasons. 5-18-1 in the biggest games of the season. (He was 3-8 in bowl games according to the Dispatch.) This is not hall of fame worthy stuff. He won just enough games to stick around. That’s about it.
Mike I’m with you. I remember that game, it was widely known that if he lost he would have been fired. It was a win-win for Ohio State fans, and he blew that out of the water. No, Cooper is barely a ‘good’ coach, let alone a hall of fame coach.
I had no opinion yesterday other than “what?”. Today, I agree with Rick and Mike. I was there for the Cooper years and it couldn’t have been worse, between athletes with great “benefits” (I’m talking to you, Orlando Pace) and his ill-conceived game plans.
I really was ecstatic when Ryan Brewer (as a refresher, former Mr. Football Ohio who Coop didn’t sniff) smoked my beloved Buckeyes two years in a row, coupled with the UM track record. While watching Coop’s last game, and Brewer’s performance, my fellow Buckeye friends and I all looked at each other and said, “Done.”.
Yeah, the CFHOF took a dip.